A World Turned Upside Down
by blk0912
Summary: Rachel reflects on the events that have occured in the last few weeks of her life. With the help of a new friend, the answer she's been looking for finally becomes clear.


**A/N:** This is the first story that I've written that a. I actually like once I'm done with it and b. I actually have the courage to post. So, please, be nice. I never bought the whole Jesse being stupid thing, so in my story, he's not and never was.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own glee : ( Kaitlyn and Luke, however, are my OCs

Rachel was sitting on a wooden swing that overlooked the lake as she thought about what had recently happened in her often drama-filled life. In what had actually been a few weeks, but felt like just a few days, her world had completely changed, had been completely turned upside down.

It all started when her mother, and her new sister, came back into her life. Shelby was now not only teaching at McKinley, but also co-directing New Directions with Mr. Schue. She had proposed a weekly dinner, to which Rachel was initially skeptical about. She had run the idea past her fathers, and they had thought it was a good idea. She had somewhat reluctantly agreed. While she had many questions, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about the woman who practically abandoned her over a year ago. It wasn't supposed to still hurt, but it did.

It was during one of these weekly dinners that Shelby had broken the news to Rachel that Jesse was coming back to help as well. He would once again simply be a consultant, but with Shelby now as co-director, all three of them knew that his suggestions would be taken more seriously. When Rachel asked how he could just leave school to be a show choir consultant. Shelby had simply waived her hand before explaining that she had simply pulled some strings at NYU, where Jesse had transferred to after a year at UCLA. The pulling of said strings would allow Jesse to finish his semester online. He would need to complete assignments and then turn them in to his professors by due dates, just like any other student. He would also be taking all of his quizzes and tests online.

Now, a week and a half later, Rachel was on a 3-day "bonding retreat" with Shelby, Mr. Schue, Jesse, and the rest of her New Directions teammates. Once Shelby had been announced as the new co-director, it seemed like everyone wanted to join. It was great for their numbers competition-wise, but there were now also more people fighting her for solos. Of the seven new people who had joined, there was only 2 she really liked. Blaine, of course, and a new girl named Kaitlyn. She was from Cincinnati and, just like Rachel, she dreamed of getting out of the small town they were currently stuck living in. While Kaitlyn simply wanted to back to Cincinnati, Rachel still dreamed of New York.

After dinner, Rachel had wandered outside. Before she left, she had caught Shelby's attention, not missing the small nod and smile that was sent her way. She had been walking around for a few minutes when she spotted the swing. Noticing that the sun was getting close to setting, Rachel had opted to simply sit, watch, and think.

It was while she was attempting do just that when her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I was wondering where you wandered off to." Said Kaitlyn as she sat down beside Rachel

"I just needed some thinking space." Rachel said with a smile for her newest, yet closest, friend

"Anything I can help with?"

"I don't know. I was just thinking about everything that's happened in the last few weeks."

"With the new co-director and consultant?" asked Kaitlyn

Rachel nodded before saying, "Yes. I feel so…mixed up I guess."

"I know how that feels. If it makes you feel any better, that cute consultant couldn't take his eyes off you all day."

"His name is Jesse." Rachel said automatically, making Kaitlyn smile

Kaitlyn's emerald green eyes danced as she laughed.

"I know his name, but "cute consultant" works too. I think you should be with him."

Rachel turned her head to look at her friend curiously.

"Where did that come from?"

"Well, for starters, I know the whole story. I also noticed that Finn was constantly checking out other girls, while Jesse never really _looked_ at anyone but you. If other girls came up to talk to him, he'd sort of just….look through them I guess."

"Finn never seems to want me unless he figures out I'm trying to move on with Jesse." Rachel muttered as she crossed her arms and sat back against the swing

Kaitlyn turned so that she was now facing Rachel before she spoke again.

"Look, I know I don't have as grand of dreams as you do, but I do know what it's like to be torn between two guys."

Rachel uncrossed her arms so that she could turn to face her friend before saying, "You never told me that."

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and ran her hands through her long black hair before explaining.

"Back home, I dated this guy named Logan off and on for about two years. I'd liked him for years before that, but he never knew I existed until I literally ran into him one day. Anyway, we started dating and, at first, I was happy. Then I met Luke. He and I hit it off immediately. Logan hated him with a passion and it seemed to make him want me more."

"Sounds like Finn and Jesse." Said Rachel

Kaitlyn nodded and then continued her story.

"Exactly. So anyway, back to my story, I tried to ignore the hate, but after a while, I broke things off with Logan. Luke was my best friend, he knew me so well that the majority of the time, he simply just understood why something affected me the way that it did, no explanation needed."

"Logan never did?" asked Rachel curiously.

"Nope," said Kaitlyn with a shake of her head, "So the end of sophomore year rolls around. Luke and I are inseparable, and everyone thinks we're dating. We never did, at least not at that point. Just after school was out for the summer, he tells me that his mom got a job promotion, so they're moving to Florida. I was devastated, so I tried to distance myself from him, thinking that it would help ease the pain. The only thing it did was cause him to move without either one of us saying goodbye. Once he was gone, Logan said he wanted to give us another shot. I just wanted to forget Luke, and since Logan hated him, I figured there'd be less temptation for me to want Luke around when he obviously couldn't be."

"What happened between then and now?" asked Rachel, eager to hear the rest of the story

"Logan and I dated until about half-way through junior year. I caught him cheating on me with the captain of the dance team. We didn't have cheerleaders at my old school, we had dancers. They're worse." Kaitlyn continued

Rachel couldn't help but interrupt her friend once more.

"Worse?" she repeated

"Worse," Kaitlyn confirmed, "So anyway, after that, I called things off with Logan. I don't think I've ever felt more alone in my entire life. The best friend I ever had wasn't around anymore and I had just broken up with the only real boyfriend I ever had. I managed to make it the majority of the way through the rest of the year by pretty much just keeping to myself. My parents were worried. My other friends were worried. I didn't want to spend time with anyone but Luke and he was the one person that I couldn't spend time with."

"Didn't you have his number?" asked Rachel

"Well, yes, but I was also too scared to contact Luke. I knew that I couldn't take it if I found out that he wanted nothing to do with me anymore, or if he was dating someone else. It was about two months before the end of junior year that Luke came back."

"He moved back?" asked Rachel

Kaitlyn smiled and nodded.

"He did. His first day back, the first thing he did was find me. At first, I was shocked that he was actually there. Once I got over the shock, I hit him."

"You hit him?" Rachel asked, shocked

"Yes. I hit him. I told him he wasn't allowed to ever leave me again."

"What did he say to that?"

"He just laughed, told me that he missed me, too, and that he'd never miss any moment of my exciting life."

"Reminds me of Jesse." Said Rachel so softly Kaitlyn almost didn't hear her

"How so?" she asked

"When Jesse and I dated, we got into a big fight right before he went off to spring break with his old team."

Kaitlyn nodded as she remembered Rachel telling her about it.

"So anyway," Rachel continued, "When Jesse came back, he found me in one of the ballet practice rooms at school."

"Let me guess: Laurie's dream ballet with Curly." Said Kailtyn with a grin

Rachel shrugged and then said, "Old habits die hard. I was just coming out of a turn when I saw him. At first, I froze on the spot and all I could manage to say was, 'hi.'"

"Nice."

"Do you want to hear this or not?"

Kaitlyn laughed and then said, "Go ahead, drama queen."

"He said 'hi' back and then asked me what I was practicing. I proceeded to tell him that it was Laurie's dream ballet with Curly, that it's what I did what I got a little stressed, and that a guy had come to Glee yesterday to talk to us about dreams. I told Jesse that it was my dream to play three parts on Broadway. Laurie in Oklahoma!, Funny Girl, and Evita."

"What did Jesse have to say to that?" asked Kaitlyn

"He told me that it wasn't a dream. A dream was something that you knew, if it came true, would fill up all the emptiness inside. He told me that me seeing Don't Cry for Me Argentina in front of a sold out crowd wasn't a dream, it was an inevitability."

"What happened after that?"

"I hugged him tightly and told him that I thought he'd never come back. He hugged me back and then said, and I quote, 'And miss all your drama? Never.'" Said Rachel

Kaitlyn grinned and then said, "How cute. You never told me that."

"Things went downhill pretty fast from there. It's one of those things that I think about when I'm having a really bad day. You never finished your story, though, what happened with Luke?"  
>"Walk with me and I'll tell you." Said Kaitlyn<p>

Rachel stood up and followed Kaitlyn farther down the hill they were sitting at the top of, towards the beach. Kaitlyn picked up a rock and threw it into the water before saying, "He asked me out. I said yes. We dated for 2 months before my parents sprung the news that we were moving over 2 hours away, to Lima."

"What happened with Luke?" asked Rachel

"He's waiting for me back in Cincinnati."

"He is?"

"Yes. He's the one I'm going to marry someday. Even my parents refer to him as their son-in-law. Things were supposed to work in our favor this year." Said Kaitlyn before throwing another rock and then sitting in the nearby grass

"So that's why you want to go back so badly." Said Rachel as she joined her friend

"Yes. We both applied to both Ohio State and University of Cincinnati."

"Did you get in?"

"Yes. I got in to both, so did Luke. We both agreed that we really liked Cincinnati, so that's where we want to live. Kind of like you and Jesse with New York."

"I'm not dating Jesse."

"Ah, but you should be." Said Kaitlyn with a smile

"From what you've told me, I'm going to guess that Jesse understands you the same way that Luke understands me."

"Yes, but you and Luke never had evil show choir teammates, or anyone else that didn't want you together."

"How did you feel when Jesse came back last year?" asked Kaitlyn

Rachel paused for a minute to think.

"I was shocked, then angry. He apologized for everything, told me he'd come back to make amends."

"He helped a team that all seem to pretty much hate him, for you."

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Kaitlyn and then asked, "You two aren't related are you?"

"Jesse and me? No. Not that I'm aware of." Said Kaitlyn

"What you just said, sounds like something he would say."

"Because it's true, drama queen. Face it; Jesse is the only one who can handle your dramatic tendencies. He probably thinks they're cute."

"Does Luke think your dramatic tendencies are cute?" teased Rachel

Kaitlyn laughed and then said, "Yes. It's so infuriating sometimes. He'll just sit there and smile at me while I'm ranting about something."

"Jesse just smirks at me. He laughs at me sometimes too."

"Like when you met him in Carmel's auditorium?"

"Yes. Exactly like that."

"Go get him, Rachel. He's yours. He's been yours from the moment you met. Trust me, I know."

"How?"

"Because the way he looks at you is the same way I've been told Luke looks at me, the way my dad looks at my mom, the way your dads look at each other. It's called finding your soul mate."

"So what am I supposed to do, walk up to him and just start kissing him?" asked Rachel

Kaitlyn laughed and then said, "That could work."

"You're no help." Said Rachel before she threw her hands up and began to walk away

Her actions only proceeded to make Kaitlyn laugh harder.

"What's got Kaitlyn so amused?" asked Jesse as he walked up to Rachel

Rachel sighed and then pointed to Kaitlyn before saying, "_She _started laughing hysterically when I told her she was no help."

Jesse's lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smirk.

"How, exactly, did you say it?" he asked

"I told her she was no help, then I threw up my hands and walked away. She just started laughing harder." Said Rachel, clearly confused

"Ah." Said Jesse with a nod

"Somebody please explain." Said Rachel as she crossed her arms

"Well, Miss Berry, it appears that she probably thinks you're being overly dramatic about something." Said Jesse

"Just kiss him already!" yelled Kaitlyn from the bottom of the hill

Jesse eyed Rachel curiously before he simply raised an eyebrow at her.

"She thinks I should be with you, that I should just walk up to you and start kissing you." Said Rachel irritably

"Is that so?" asked Jesse as though this was news to him

"Jesse!" exclaimed Rachel with a stomp of her foot

Jesse chuckled and then simply walked the short distance to where Rachel stood. Before she could react, Jesse slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Problem solved." He said before leaning down to kiss Rachel

Rachel initially resisted, but when Jesse tightened his hold on her, she gave in and wrapped her own arms around his neck before returning the kiss.

"Yes!" exclaimed Kaitlyn

"What's got you so excited?" asked Luke as he heard his girlfriend's exclamation

"Jesse kissed Rachel and Rachel is kissing him back." Said Kaitlyn excitedly

Luke sighed and then said, "Kait, I love you, but you really need to stop meddling in other people's lives."

"But it worked out this time!"

"You got lucky."

"Oh be quiet, you."

Once they ended their kiss, Rachel and Jesse simply stood with their arms around each other. Rachel looked up into Jesse's eyes, her eyes asking the question she couldn't bring herself to ask out loud.

"I came back for you. I'll always come back for you."

"Am I really worth all that trouble?" asked Rachel

"It's not trouble, Rach," said Jesse as he moved his hands from Rachel's waist to frame her face, "You are my soul mate and I love you. I came back to help Once they ended their kiss, Rachel and Jesse simply stood with their arms around each other. Rachel looked up into Jesse's eyes, her eyes asking the question she couldn't bring herself to ask out loud.

"I came back for you. I'll always come back for you."

"Am I really worth all that trouble?" asked Rachel

"It's not trouble, Rach," said Jesse as he moved his hands from Rachel's waist to frame her face, "You are my soul mate and I love you. I came back to help _you_. Hell, I simply back _for _you."

"Even if I wasn't single, if we hadn't just kissed…."

"I'd still be here. I figured the least I could do was see you off to New York, maybe help you get settled. I was hoping for a second chance, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't entirely sure I'd actually get it."

"If it had been up to you, would you have stayed?" asked Rachel

Jesse knew, without Rachel having to explain, what was being asked. She wanted to know if he would have stayed at McKinley with her if the circumstances had been different.

"Yes."

"I wanted you to. I never wanted you to leave."

"What about Finn?"

"What about him? I never loved Finn. He's the first boy I had a real crush on, but I don't love him. I love Noah, but in a completely different way than I love you."

"I do appreciate him looking out for you while I was gone."

"Jesse!"

"I love you, too. You know that."

"So? It doesn't mean I don't like hearing it." Said Rachel defiantly

Jesse chuckled and then said, "I love you, my beautiful drama queen, but it's almost dark and we should head back."

Rachel nodded, lacing her fingers with Jesse's as they walked back towards the cabin together, Kaitlyn not far behind them.


End file.
